"I don't know if this is an appropriate thing to say," said Nancy Hawkins of Dawson County, "but I feel like I'm in hell."

Hawkins spoke today about the death of her younger daughter Anna, who was killed in a car crash last week at the age of 16.

Officials say Anna was car-surfing at the time, meaning she was on top of the car as another person was driving.

"It's hard for us to see that, because Anna wasn't stupid," said her older sister Kati. "It's a lie."

The Hawkins family disputes the claim, based on what they say they have been told by witnesses since the accident.

"We had two witnesses come forth and say, 'We saw something different,'" mother Nancy said. "They said they saw the car go by and there was no one on the car. The investigation is not complete; it's inconclusive."

Trooper Mark Cox worked the scene for Georgia State Patrol. He made the statement about car-surfing last week, and he stood by it in a phone call Wednesday.

Cox said he was told about the car-surfing by the vehicle's driver, and he said the car showed evidence that surfing had taken place. He says he has not heard from the witnesses mentioned by the Hawkins family, and he invites them to contact him while the investigation is still open.